WTA Eastbourne Day 3 Preview/Predictions

In arguably the highest quality second round match, Angelique Kerber takes on Alize Cornet for a place in the quarter-finals in Eastbourne. Kerber battled past Alison Riske in what was a high quality match, whilst Alize Cornet cruised past Bojana Jovanovski to reach the second round. Both Kerber and Cornet had disappointing results on clay this season and will be hoping for much better results on grass. Cornet hasn't fared to well on grass in recent years whilst Kerber has had mixed results in recent years.

The German beat Cornet in their only previous meeting which was last season in Madrid. On grass, Kerber should have the edge. Her serve will be important, if she serves well she will be difficult to defeat. The German has more firepower and the ability to be more aggressive.

This is a fascinating matchup between two ladies with so much potential. Both Makraova and Pavlyuchenkova have shown what they are capable of at various stages in their careers but have both struggled with inconsistency. Pavlyuchenkova was ultra impressive in her three set victory over Radwanska in the opening round whilst Makaraova defeated Francesca Schiavone in straight sets.

Pavlyuchenkova has defeated Makarova in four of their previous five encounters however this will be the first time the two have crossed paths on grass. I believe Makarova will have the edge on grass but this match could certainly go either way. Pavlyuchenkova was rubbing her shoulder an awful lot towards the end of her match with Radwanska, perhaps something isn't right there?